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Did you know that you can get many of your digital purchases at up to half price? With prices on iTunes, Amazon and software from Adobe and Microsoft differing depending on which country you’re in, there are great savings to make by changing your IP address. For example, iTunes users in Australia can save up to 49% if buying their songs from the US version of iTunes rather than the Australian one. Let’s go through what you can save on and how to do it!

Notice that usually the US versions of iTunes, Amazon, Adobe and Microsoft are the cheapest, so the following advice is mainly aimed at people outside USA.

Up to 50% off iTunes

Albums by major label artists such as Rihanna and Bruno Mars are reportedly around 40-50% more expensive in Australia than in the US, whereas Norwegians can buy Pharrell’s single “Happy” at a 35% discount from the US iTunes, just as illustrative examples. In general, high-wage countries are more expensive, so if you are located in Australia, the Scandinavian countries or any other high-income country you should compare the prices with the US iTunes.

Here’s how to Save on iTunes using SaferVPN:

1) To be able to access the US iTunes, you must first sign out from your current account. There are several ways to do it, one is by clicking the ‘Store’ tab and then sign out, like this:

3) Connect to a SaferVPN server located in the US, since Apple will check your IP address to determine your location. By connecting to our American VPN servers, you get a US IP address and Apple will believe that you’re currently located in the US. Here’s some advice on which US VPN server to connect to.

4) Now, Apple has been kind to leave a back door open: find any free app in the iTunes App Store and download it. Notice that you have to look for an app and not music or movies for this to work. Once it asks for your Apple ID, simply create a new one.

5) Accept the agreement and simply proceed through the sign-up process. When you get to the payment method screen, don’t enter any credit card details, just select ‘None’ in the menu. Use the US Postal Service website to find an address in Delaware to avoid sales tax, use any random phone number like 123-4567890 when prompted for one. Now the system will validate your provided details and in moments you’ll know that everything has gone smoothly.

6) Apple will only accept US credit cards for payments on the US iTunes. A way around it is to buy a US iTunes gift card. Take a look at Ebay or Amazon for example, or perferably have someone you know in the US buy one for you, give you the code and you just pay him or her with PayPal. We’ve also read that Buyfrompowerseller and Offgamers are speedy and trustworthy alternatives, although we can’t guarantee or vouch for that since we haven’t tried it ourselves. There are also a plethora of “virtual credit cards” that you can buy that will give you a US-based credit card with a US billing address. Among the top results on Google for such cards are US Unlocked and Entropay. You could also try buying an e-mail delivered iTunes gift card from the online stores of Walmart or Target. Read Walmart’s policy on paying with international credit cards. If you have other suggestions or recommendations when it comes to international payments and virtual credit cards, please share it in the comments section below!

Once you’ve followed the 6 steps outlined above, you’re finally browsing the US app store just as if you were in the US, and in effect get the same reduced prices!

Save up to 40% on Amazon

With the help of cheapriver.com, you can compare prices between the different Amazon stores worldwide. Prices can differ by up to 40%. Why pay more than necessary?

Spend some time to see what’s on offer in the different regional stores before selecting yours. Once you find the one that has the most titles that interest you, connect to the SaferVPN server in that country and register for a local account. You might have to restart your browser as well as either clear your cache and cookies or surf using your browser’s private mode. That way, Amazon will believe that you’re located in your chosen location since they can’t read your cookies nor locate you based on your IP address. Now you’re free to take advantage of reduced prices on all your digital Amazon purchases!

Unblock geo-restrictions on Kindle Unlimited and Amazon Instant Video

“We’re sorry. Kindle Unlimited is currently only available for US customers. Please visit us again when it is available in your country.”

Notice that through your VPN, you can get access to services that are otherwise not available abroad, for example Kindle Unlimited and Amazon Instant Video. Notice that these services require a US credit card or an Amazon E-mail Delivered Gift Card. Amazon’s chat support was nice enough to inform us that the gift card can be purchased outside of the US and be used to purchase content that’s only available in the US. You would just need to make sure you purchase the gift card on Amazon.com, so that it can be used on Amazon.com (i.e.: gift cards purchased on the UK site can only be used on amazon.co.uk).

Once you’ve purchased your e-mail delivered gift card, connect to one of SaferVPN’s US servers, purchase whatever you want using your gift card and then enjoy Amazon Instant Video and Kindle Unlimited just as if you were in the US!

Buy Software at half price

Windows Office Professional 2013 is reportedly 50% more expensive in Australia than in the US, just as one example of huge price gaps. Why not spend those extra money on something fun instead? Also Adobe’s programs are way more expensive in countries like Australia, New Zealand and much of Europe.

So how do you get these deals? When you browse into the websites of Microsoft or Adobe you’ll find the prices of the country which you’re currently in, because the shop detects your IP address and know where you are. Use a VPN to change your IP address to one from another country. That way the store thinks you’re there and you can get a much better price. You might have to restart your browser or either (1) clear its cookies and cache or (2) use your browser’s anonymous browsing mode since the e-tailers might still pass you to your local store if they detect your cookies.

Once you’re connected with your SaferVPN and your browser is set, you’re ready to shop for great software deals!

Get the deals now!

In short, what you generally need to do to take advantage of the savings detailed above:

Find your deals by using sites that compare prices between geo-locations.

Connect to the SaferVPN service in the location that has the best savings.

Open your browser’s privacy mode (unless you want to clear all your history and cookies – personally I like to keep my history to easily return to sites I’ve been at before). That way, your cookies or history can’t be traced by the e-tailer – you’re surfing into it on a clean slate.

Browse into the website you want to shop at and do it as if you were located in its country.

Some sites require a credit card from its country – in that case you can try getting a virtual credit card or buy e-mail delivered gift cards.